Keynote Speaker

Bridgett is the CEO and Founder at BMcHAWK Talks, LLC, a public speaking coaching firm. She has presented at various conferences, universities, colleges, student organizations, and corporations and gets her energy from being around others who are passionate about the work they do and how it propels others to be their best. You can find more about her work here.

As a job seeker, we have a lot of ideas but do we know how to mentally regroup and charge ahead after a layoff? It is one thing to work on our resume and another thing to work on our mindset.

The objectives of the presentation are to:

provide practical, real-life techniques

examination of your “why”

strategies for the neutral zone

When we think of someone who is incredibly confident, what qualities do we associate with them? Happy, positive, energized, go-getter? The fact is that all of us came to the world as confident beings. A baby is always happy. As we grow up and as we interact with others, we imbibe their opinions of us as our own and we lose our confidence. Similarly, when a company sends us a rejection letter, we think that something is wrong with us. Bridgett says, “A company does not define you or what you are good at.” So, she suggests the following steps to gain your confidence back and make your job search a success.

Make a statement of your worth – Start with two realities (__and __), present a problem (but), and then present what you do (therefore).

Example: It’s hot outside and it is important to stay hydrated in this kind of weather. But conveniently getting a quality beverage made from the freshest of ingredients can be a challenge. Therefore, I operate a lemonade stand that offers a refreshing homemade beverage with great service and a smile.

Get comfortable with displaying awesomeness – Being humble is a great quality to have but this is not the time to be humble. As a job seeker, we need to be proud of our achievements and the difference we can make. So toot your own horn and let the world know what you can do.

Do something that excites or scares you – like returning to school, starting a blog (ex. WordPress), collaborating with someone on a project, selling a service (ex. Thumbtack.com) or starting a business.

Get (more) uncomfortable – Once you start doing something exciting or scary, challenge yourself to get more uncomfortable. This moves you away from the despair over rejections and helps you focus on something positively creative and stops you from brooding.

Be ready with a response – When people ask about your job search. You might say something like, “I am good at what I do. I know my industry. I will be fine.” Use positive and powerful words. Share how much you are comfortable sharing.

Mark the past – Captain Hernan Cortes landed in Veracruz for his great conquest in 1519. After arriving he ordered his crew to burn the ships. Similarly, as job seekers when we are looking for a new role we should take steps to mark the past and get ready for a new chapter in our life. It could be having coffee with your boss, cleaning the closet or traveling.

Respect the past – The last job provided you with great returns but it is a thing of the past now. Though it was fun while it lasted, now is the time to keep moving by taking one step at a time to reach your target of finding a great new role.

Avoid burning bridges – The world is a connected and small place. Don’t spoil your relationship with your last employer. Part on good terms. You never know who from the company might reach out to you. If they decide to burn the bridges, you be the bigger person and keep your side of the bridge.

Burn some bridges – Clean up some toxic connections and make space for more awesomeness in your life. You might also decide to suspend some connections for the time being and decide to get back to them later.

Take a minute to make two lists:

the people, thing, and ideas you need to keep

those you need to toss

Constantly use power words –

I hope this will work vs. I know this will work.

I might be able to do that vs. I can do that.

If we can meet, then we can share more ideas vs. When we meet, then we can discuss more ideas.

I believe that I can make that happen vs. I am confident I can make that happen.

Give great eye contact – When talking to someone looking them in the eye displays confidence. Either as a speaker or listener, eye contact is essential. Here is a trick to stay focused in a conversation and to give a great eye contact. When talking to someone first look at their one eye, then the other eye, and then the nose.

Avoid giving reasons for actions or decisions – Say you spilled wine at a restaurant dinner table. Instead of saying “My bad. I am sorry” and moving on if you decide to explain how you think that the wine glass was too close to your plate or how the waiter had placed it incorrectly, it is to no avail. You don’t need to explain. If someone specifically asks you, then you give them an answer, a strong one, filled with power words.

Respond to criticism only when/if necessary – Maybe you find yourself in a situation where someone you know criticizes you for your career decisions. Try and get out of that discussion as soon as possible. That might mean diverting the discussion or responding to it briefly. If you give it too much time, you get sucked into their black hole.

Don’t just talk about it; be about it – The purpose here is to constantly move and keep growing instead of being stuck in a negative mindset. So, make a plan and stick to it. The list of things which excite you or scare you, work on them. Make moving a habit. Make your plan and work your plan.

Make others feel incredibly important – It gives you a sense of achievement and helps you build your confidence. It also takes the spotlight away from your situation and helps you manage your energy in a positive way.

Hiring Companies

Arizona Department of Health Services

Key Bentley, Sr. Healthcare/Administration Recruiter at Arizona Department of Health Services presented about key job opportunities at Arizona State Hospital (ASH). Some of the available jobs are for nurses, behavior health technicians, and administrative positions along with many other roles. You can find all the ASH jobs by going here and in the agency field select “Department of Health Services” and hit search. She suggested reaching out to her in case an applicant has a follow-up question about their application.

Accounting & Finance Professionals, Inc./Staff-Logic Inc.

Deanne Desautels, President/CEO at Accounting & Finance Professionals, Inc./Staff-Logic Inc. talked about some of the roles they generally get which are in IT, Accounting and Finance, Marketing, Legal, Healthcare, Customer Service, and Light Industrial / Warehouse. Staff Logic has ranked #1 for 5 years in a row for direct hire placements. They are also a preferred vendor the State of Arizona jobs. Please visit their office to register as a job seeker so that they can match you with a suitable role.

Allstate

Jill Romanowski and Allison Chafin presented about the opportunities at Allstate. Allstate is one of the most recognized brands in America helping to educate and protect consumers from life’s uncertainties. The SW region (AZ, OK, NV, NM, & UT) is growing and they have new roles added every week. Some of their current roles are Claims Analyst, IT, Small business owner, Licensed Sales Professional and Agency owner. Find all of their open positions here. Allstate is currently offering a referral bonus of $10,000 for referring a small business owner for their Agency owner position.

Resources

Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona

Jezreel Ramirez, Employer and Community Relations at Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona. Jezreel described that Goodwill put 90 cents of every dollar they earn from reselling the donated goods toward helping job seekers in the community. They have career centers all over Arizona. You can find the nearest one here. They have five divisions – Commercial Maintenance, Corporate Careers, Retail, Workforce Development, and Warehouse/Transportation. Open positions in all the divisions can be found here.

Job seekers are tempted to take a break at this time of year. We take the foot off the pedal in our race to find a job.

Jessica Pierce, executive director of Career Connectors, has news for you: Many companies ARE hiring. Those job hunters who network and persist in their search at this time of year are step ahead of the others who wait until January.

“You are ahead of the curve,” Jessica told Career Connectors members and others who networked Wednesday and heard Bill Markham discuss “Believe, Succeed & Win.”

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Bill Markham (@winnerviewer) knows how to win. He’s helped more than 3,000 job prospects with interviews, but he also has walked the road of joblessness both as a new father and later in his working career. “It’s a lonely, lonely journey,” Bill said.

Job seekers need to show results with hard data and statistics, Bill says. When submitting resumes and interviewing for jobs, we should strengthen our resumes and interviews by highlighting skills and our delivery of results. And when closing at the end of the interview, ask for the job—only five percent of candidates do, Bill said.

Bill outlined a simple strategy. Write a plan of action. Review the tools in your tool box, taking advantage of the career guidance from coaches, recruiters, training schools and other services at Career Connectors.

And finally, believe in yourself.

Writing a plan can help us see our ideal vision and hammer out goals in our lives, Bill said. “The mind can only conceive that what is written,” Bill said.

Write five results to prepare yourself for the job interviewer’s basic question: “What makes you qualified to do this job?” Demonstrate your leadership, highlight problem-solving skills and how you exceed work standards.

We are all marketers, too, when it comes to job hunting. You need to sell your skills, probe to discover what the company needs, present your qualifications, paraphrase to hone your message and close the interview and in any written communications by asking for the job. The better we can market ourselves, the better chance we have of winning the job, Bill says.

Then there are the negative, desperate thoughts that creep into our minds on the job-hunting pilgrimage. Doubt often works its way into our thought processes, but Bill believes that doubt is actually a catalyst for success, when you use it and respond to it with an alternative to eliminate it, such as belief in yourself and an unwillingness to fail. Perseverance negates any fear of losing.

In order to win, do activities that winners do, such as volunteering. “Give away to keep,” Bill said. “When you give someone your service and get nothing, you surrender what has happened in the past to win a new life and a new job.”

Job candidates often leave interviews not knowing how they did. Bill suggests that you ask them. “How did I do?” That gives you a window to elaborate on answers.

HIRING COMPANIES

Hiring companies included American Express, Goodwill of Central Arizona and All About People. All three companies have job vacancies and indicated that job seekers should visit their web sites, fill out online profiles and submit applications and resumes on those web sites.

Eldad Engelman, recruitment relationship manager, and Sara Betz, client recruitment specialist, highlighted some of the jobs available at American Express, including customer care, marketing, finance, risk, technologies and human resources. Eldad reminded job seekers to review the job description first. “The first bullet of your resume should reflect what they are looking for,” Eldad said. “Companies like to see measurable results and how you executed and achieved measurable results.”

Caitlin King, senior recruiter at Goodwill of Central Arizona, said revenue raised from donations helps with job training at career centers and Goodwill’s mission of putting people to work. Opportunities include commercial maintenance, retail operations, Goodwill mission services and corporate services. Those interested can apply online at jobs.goodwillaz.org.

Karen McEnroe, director of sales and operations at All About People, a professional hiring organization, which helps with employment opportunities. Positions available include data entry, admissions recruiter, legal secretary, IC chip manager and IC chip engineer, and a senior scientist.

Karen said job hunters should make sure words are spelled correctly. The resume is the first impression left on hiring managers. “The company will not bring you in for an interview if you even have one typo,” Karen said. “Take a few minutes and put some time and care into your resume.”

Mario Parra, talent acquisition specialist at Revana, said that Revana specializes in business process outsourcing. Current opportunities include inbound sales representatives, outbound sales representatives and sales manager. Revana hosts job fairs every Tuesday at the company’s north Phoenix office and at the Tempe office on every Wednesday.

Parra said recruiters who review resumes look for candidates who match with the keywords in job descriptions. “You have to make sure you meet our minimum criteria and the job is something that you are interested in,” Mario said.

RESOURCES

John Dvorak, career advancement partner with Training to You, said that the Workforce Investment Act assists the unemployed or underemployed with grant money to help fund their training in various programs to achieve certification in project management, Microsoft Office professional and several others. One-stop centers throughout the Valley funded by these grants also help job seekers through career advancement workshops, too. Training to You is located in Phoenix and the web site is www.trainingtoyou.com.

CLOSING

Jessica Pierce will be the main speaker in Gilbert on Tuesday, Dec. 10, with “LinkedUp on LinkedIn,” with hiring companies Arizona Nutritional Supplements, Insight and Charles Schwab. A second event is also scheduled next week as Kristi Staab tells us how to “Lead Like a Rock Star” on Thursday, Dec. 12 in Scottsdale. Hiring companies are the State of Arizona Department of Administration, Renaissance Personnel Group and EDMC Online Higher Education.

While it is tempting to slow the pace down at this time of year, remember that you never know where that next opportunity will appear, especially during the holidays. If you don’t know about the opportunity because you didn’t look for it, you will never find it, so keep up your efforts by attending networking and recruiting events next week at Career Connectors!

Local Job Board

Testimonials

I am profoundly grateful for all of the support Career Connectors has provided during my recent job search – from the exceptional speakers to the participating employers, LinkedIn experts (Ted Robison is amazing with his individualized approach), resume experts, photographers, and of course the great opportunity to network! I felt like I had an army of support with me every single day. I appreciate all the time and effort invested by many and am particularly grateful for Jessica! You have a fi…

Cindy G.

I originally found Career Connectors during a large quarterly networking event and started attending meetings in May/June with a girlfriend who was also laid off. I appreciated all the information, resources, encouragement and genuine support I felt from everyone at Career Connectors. What you are doing is an amazing service for those of us who find ourselves “displaced” in these tough economic times.The benefit you are providing is not only for those “transitioning” — but also for lo…

Candice T.

I want to follow up with you about the position I had hoped to get. I got it! And thanks to Jack Milligan’s Salary Negotiation talk, for the first time I didn’t feel like an idiot when I accepted a job. No one else offers that kind of information. Thank you for all you do. I appreciate your efforts to bless others. May you and yours be blessed every day. Thank you for everything,

Cheryl

Career Connectors has given me the courage to move forward and the mindset to move out of this moment. I have gained encouragement, opportunity, and a stronger skill-set in each meeting I have attended. This interaction has given me the vision to see my God given talents, the realization of how much I still have to offer, and the ability to put value in my career, instead of only seeing value by a job.

Anonymous

Career Connectors made the pivotal difference in my search for employment after a layoff lasting a full year. Their dedication to providing a consistent, local and no-cost program and venue to search, network and learn, ultimately provided not only an excellent fit in a new job, but also the ability to regain dignity and the ability to achieve financial independence once again. I am forever grateful to all of the volunteers that produced a program so vitally important to our family

Anonymous

If you are a job seeker in transition or looking to find that new great position I highly recommend Career Connectors. The search process has changed significantly over the years and Career Connectors will provide you many tools that will allow you to stand out and demonstrate your unique value to potential employers.At each event I had the opportunity to “sharpen the saw” through top notch expert presentations on image portrayal, positive attitude, networking, social media presence, job…

Joe C.

After one year of unemployment, I have been employed with an excellent company at a job which is perfect fit for my experience and desires for many months, through the efforts of the devoted volunteers at Career Connectors. I and my family are eternally grateful. Sincere thanks!

Jeff A.

A good friend told me of her success using Career Connectors networking. She landed an interview and later, a job in her field, after attending one networking event. So, when it was my turn, I had to check it out.I was starting to get the blues about being unemployed but the speaker lifted me out of the dumps and put my life back in perspective. So many people were there to help and offersupport! Just by networking that day, I was given a job lead that has led to two interviews and a…

Mary B.

Navigating the world of career transition can be an overwhelming experience. In addition to the mechanics of transition (updated resume, career search strategies), there is the deeper need to connect to people who are in the same situation as you are. For me, all of this was answered by Career Connectors! Had it not been for this organization, I might still be sitting in my house, wondering what to do next! At just one Career Connectors meeting you can be inspired by great speakers, …

Iris M.

After a company layoff thrust me into the job market, Career Connectors was exactly what I needed to develop my networking skills. Networking is a job in itself, and the skills I learned helped me to land a temporary position just three months later that is now permanent. I believe in the Career Connectors mission and continue to volunteer as a way of expressing my appreciation for their support during a very tough time…thank you Career Connectors!